Vaccine to cut cancer of cervix

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A NEW vaccine that doctors believe could prevent 70 per cent of
cases of cervical cancer could be on the market by next year.

In what is being hailed as one of the most important advances in
women's health, Australian researchers have developed the world's
first vaccine that prevents four strains of the human papilloma
virus (HPV), two of which cause the disease that kills almost
300,000 women worldwide each year. The virus is spread through
sex.

Ian Hammond, a gynaecological oncologist at Perth's King Edward
Memorial Hospital for Women, said: "The prospect for the future is
enormous. It's fantastic." But it would take at least 20 to 30
years to reduce dramatically the circulation of the virus in the
community, and the cervical cancer screening program would need to
remain in place.

The vaccine, known as Gardasil, was trialled in 12,000 women in
13 countries. The trial compared the vaccine and two booster shots
with a course of placebo jabs. None of the women who received the
real vaccine developed any of the four HPV strains the trial
included during two years of follow-up, and 21 of those who were
injected with the dummy vaccine did so.

The vaccine would ideally be given to girls and boys before they
are sexually active, but the researchers say young adults who are
sexually active may also benefit, particularly if they have never
been exposed to HPV.

It would be administered with three injections over six months,
and it is believed that no booster would be required.

The vaccine is a collaboration between the University of
Queensland and CSL, which partially funded the research and has
licensed the technology to drug company Merck, which carried out
the trials. CSL will market the vaccine and earn royalties.

Ian Frazer, the vaccine's inventor and professor of medicine at
the university, said he was delighted with the results, which have
come 15 years after he began working on the vaccine. "Unlike most
vaccines, this is not made by growing large amounts of virus and
then killing it in the test tube and using it as the basis for the
vaccine," he said.

"This is done by using DNA technology, so we engineer something
to look like a virus in the immune system but it just looks like
the shell of the virus, which is enough to trick the immune system
into thinking that it has seen the real virus, so it makes antibody
and protects the person against infection."

Cancer Council Victoria director Professor David Hill said the
vaccine would prevent many cases of cervical cancer, but "it
doesn't mean that women who are already grown up and have become
sexually active can give up their regular pap screens".

Trials are under way in girls aged over 11 and in men. There are
about 200 strains of HPV, but only 10 are linked to cervical
cancer. Up to 70 per cent of sexually active people will pick up
the virus, but most get rid of it without any problems. Fewer than
1 per cent of women who pick up the virus will develop cancer.

The Royal Women's Hospital was the only Australian participant
in the trial. Director of microbiology and infectious disease
Suzanne Garland said 150 women took part. If the vaccine was
approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, she expected it
to be offered to girls before they reach sexual maturity.

With JULIE ROBOTHAM

THE TOLL

■ There were 735 cervical cancer cases in
Australia in 2001, and 227 deaths.

■ About 500,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with it each
year and 300,000 die from it.

■ 70 per cent of cancers are caused by HPV types 16 and
18, which are targetted by the vaccine.